Cardiac support devices (CSDs) used to treat heart disease are generally known and disclosed, for example, in International Publication No. WO 2008/003034 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. CSDs and tools and methods for surgically delivering or implanting the devices are also generally known and disclosed, for example, in International Publication No. WO 2008/011411 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Sizes of diseased hearts can vary. Accordingly, CSDs come in a range of sizes. Prior to the delivery procedure, a surgeon will typically measure the size of the patient's heart, and select an appropriately sized CSD. One known approach for measuring the patient's heart size is through CT imaging under fluoroscopy. Heart size measuring tools are also disclosed in the Vanden Hoek et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,921 and the Krueger U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,791.
There is, however, a continuing need for improved measuring tools and associated methods. In particular, there is a need for heart size measuring tools and methods that are accurate and efficient to perform.